Sewing-machine ruffler



1931- H. A. MAASHOFF ETAL 1,737,592

' SEWING MACHINE RUFFLER Filed March 26. 1928 Patented Jan. 6, 1931 n STATES PATENT" oFFIcE V HUGO MAASHOFF, WALTER C. GREIST, AND ANDREW J. CARMICHAEL, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TOTHE GREIST MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A

, conronerron on CONNECTICUT SEWING-MACHINE RUFFLER 2 Application filed March 26, 1928. Serial No. 264,846.

- This invention relates to that class sew ing machine ruiilers generally known as fivestitch, rufllers in that they may be adjusted so'as to effect a reciprocating movement of the rufiiing blade at each five stitches of a sewing machine, when it is. desired to make wide ru'liies or plaits, or may be so adjusted as to make a narrowrutfle 0r gather at each stitch of the sewing machine; or, if plain sewing is to be done, may be thrown out of action without being removed from the sewing machine. The present invention has for its object to widen the range of work to be performed by rulilers of the class referred to so that the ruffler may be adj ustedso as to make a ruflieor gather atleach stitch ofthe sewing machine, or at each five or ten orany other desired number ofstitches; or maybe thrown out of action when plain sewing is to be done. The present invention is an; improvement on that class of sewing machine rufliers shown by U. S. Patents Nos. 1,261,628 and 1,392,970.

The present invention also provides means whereby awider ruflie may be made than is possible by the use of rufliers of the classre :Eerred to, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing Figs. 1 and 2 areopposite side views of the improved rufller. Fig. 3 is a rear end view and Fig. 4 a

, plan view of the same. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail, views of the ratchet wheels. 7 Figs. 7 and 8 are detail viewsto show more clearly certain ,parts shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views, to show more clearly the adjustable lever 25 on the arm 14 of the pendulous lever 14.

Referring to the drawing, 12 denotes the frame of the ruflier constructed for attachment to the presser foot of a sewing machine, 13 the operating lever, 14 the pendulous lever, 15 the rufiiing blade carrier having a pivotal connection with the lower end of said pendu-' lous lever, 17 the ruffiing blade, 13 the adjustable contact screw, and 16 the separator plate, these parts being, excepting for the attachment to an arm, to be referred to, on said pendulous lever, substantially the same asin the patents referredto above.

Mounted on. a stud 18, which servesas a fulcrum pin for the operating and pendulous levers, are two ratchet --*wheels 19 and 20, the ratchet wheel 19 having a series of shallow notches 21, affording short radial teeth, and

two deep notches 22 between the shallow I notches. The' ratchetwheel 20 is provided with a single deep notch 22 and with eleven shallow notches. The said ratchet wheels are spaced apart from each other but are connected so as to rotate together and the deep notch of the ratchet wheel 20 registers with one of the deep notches in. the ratchet wheel 19. I i

Pivotally attached to alaterally extending lug 13 at the top of the operating lever 13, is a yieldingly mounted plate 23; and,integral with said plate, is a downwardly extending pawl 24. Owing to its pivotal. connection with the lug 13 the free end oi the said plate 23 is adapted-to be adjusted laterally so as to bring any one of the openings 23*, 23", 23 and 23 near the free end of said plate, into register with an upwardly projecting finger 13 on the said operating lever. A-similar adjustable pawl-carrying plate is shown in Patent No.- 1,392,970, and also in Patent No. 1,261,628. I 1

The pendulous lever 14 is provided, as in the construction shown inthe patents above referredto, with a shoulder 14; and by adj usting the pa vl-carrying plate 23 so that the finger 13 will extend through the opening 23 the pawl 24 will beadjusted laterally so that it willbe out of register with the ratchet wheels .19 and 20, but will be in register with the saidshoulder 14, and will-thus cause a reciprocating movement to be imparted to the rufiiing blade 17. at each stitch of the sew.- ing machine. I

If, however, the said plate 23 be adjusted to bring the opening 23 'into register with said fingerlS the pawl 24 will be brought into register with the ratchet wheel 19, having two deep notches, and the short radial teeth afforded by the shallow notches will serve to hold said pawl above the said shoul der-14 but-when, in the rotation of the 14 on the pendulous lever and a forward movement of the rufiling blade will then be effected. Thus with the adjustment just referred to a'ruffle or gather Will be formed at each six stitches of'the sewing machine when the movements of the ruflling blade are controlled by the ratchet wheel 19.

If, however, the said plate 23 be adjusted so as to bring the opening 23;into register with the said fingerlti the pawl 24 will be held above the said shoulder 14 excepting when the single deep notch in the ratchet wheel is reached; and thus themove nent of the said rufiiing blade will be efiected only at each twelve stitches of the sewing machine when the movements of the ruffling blade are controlled by the ratchet wheel 20. "When, however, the'plate 23 is adjusted to bring the small opening23 into register with the finger l3";the plate 23 will be lifted high enough so that the pawl 24 will be entirely clear of both ratchet wheels, asind'icated by dotted lines in Fig. 2; so that no movement at all will be imparted to the rufliing blade,.and thusplain sewing may be effected. It will be noted that the rounded upper end of the finger 13 is adapted to enter but not pass through said opening23 so that the plate 23 will be sup ported by said finger and will be held in the raised position denot'ed'by the dotted lines referred to.

From the foregoing it will be understood 7 that the range of the work of the class of rufilerslto which the invention relates is widened by permitting a ruffie to be made at each stitch, at each six stitches, and alsoat each twelve stitches, instead of only at each stitch dulous lever (without adjusting said screw) to such an extent that, with a proper adjustment of the said contact screw, there will be little or no lost motion between the operating lever and the pendulous lever; and thus by the quick adjustment of said lever, a very long stroke will be imparted to thesaid penduleus lever and to the rattling blade connected therewith so as to make very wide ruflles when desired, For ordinarywork, however, the said contact lever will be adjusted to the inoperative position shown in full lines in Fig. 1;, and when thrown into operation will assume the position shown in dotted lines in V Fig. 1, and in full lines in Figs. 9 andlO.

To prevent backward movement of the a c e eel hen t e ope ating leveris moved award, a springdetent pawl 26.

operating lever and said plate, isa volute or helical coil spring 28 whichpermitsa proper yielding action of said plate as the pawl 24 rides overthe teeth of the ratchet wheel or wheels. Heretofore plain or cylindrical coil s rin s and late s rin s have been used in this connection,.but experiments havevdemonstrated that said volute spring enables the rufiier to work much better than the said previous springs, said volute spring affording a wider bearing against said pawl-carrying plate than the springs previously employed. It will be understood that the construction of the ratchet wheels 19 and 20 may be' varied so as to provide a greater or lesser number of the deep and shallow notches than those shown in the drawing so that the ruffling blade will be operated to make a ruffle or gather at each five or ten, or any other desired number of the stitches of the sewing machine, instead 'of at each six or twelve stitches as will result'with the particular construction of ratchet wheels shown in the drawing. 4

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire'to. secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a sewing machine ruf'fler, the combination with an operating lever, of a pawl connected therewith to be actuated therefrom,-a plurality of connected ratchet whe'e'lshaving shallow and deep notches, means for adjusting said pawl laterally so that it may engage either of said wheels or may be displaced from either of them, a pendulous lever having a shoulder to be engaged by said pawl, and a willing blade operatively connected with said pendulous lever.

2. In a sewing machine rufller, the combination with an operating lever, of a pawl connected therewith to be actuated therefrom, two connected ratchet wheels having shallow and deep notches, means for adjusting said pawl laterally so that it may engageeither of said wheels or may be displaced from either of them, a pendulous lever having a shoulder to .be engaged by said pawl, and a ruffling blade operatively connected with said pendulous lever, one of said ratchet wheels having a single deep notch and the other having a plurality of deep notches.

3. In a sewing machine rufiier, the combination with an operating lever and acontact screw n ed he eon, of a pawl operated fr m said ever, a p dule leve ha inga shoulder to be engagedby saidpawland haveg an arm to be engage by said screw 11 lever mounted on said arm and positioned so thatits free end may be brought beneath said screw to increase the working length of said arm, and a ruflling blade operatively connected with said pendulous lever; whereby, when desired, the lost motion between said screw and said arm may be lessened to increase the throw of said ruflling blade withv out adjusting said screw.

4. In a sewing machine rufiler, the combination with an operating lever and a frame or support on which said lever is mounted, of

" a pawl connected therewith to be actuated therefrom, two connected ratchet wheels both having deep and shallow notches to be operated by said pawl, a spring detent pawl mounted on said frame or support and serving to prevent backward movement of said wheels, a pendulous lever having a shoulder to be engaged by said pawl, and a rufliing blade operatively connected with said pendulous lever.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

HUGO A. MAASHOFF. WALTER C. GREIST. ANDREW J. CARMICHAEL. 

